Thou Shalt Rescue

[rushdoggie]

FWIW, I have been involved in Rescue since 1991. I have owned a rescued Golden, a rescued Siberian, 2 rescued Dalmatians, 2 rescued Papillons, and 2 rehomed Border Collie.

I have been an independent rescuer of Border Collies, an APRH foster home and fostered Papillons and have sat on the board of directors for PCAR. I have taken in, fostered and placed literally dozens of dogs over the years, mostly Border Collies and Papillons, but also Dalmatians, Siberians, a schnauzer, a Chow, a Shar Pei, a couple of Chihuahuas and a ShizTzu, and a whole pile of mixes. I also worked in an animal shelter for 5 years as a kennel worker and then a vet tech.

 

the most political and agenda-pushing rescuers are the ones *not* involved with purebred rescues.

 

In general, I would agree with that and also that most of the very poor placements I see come from "all-breed" rescues.

 

It's so bad that not only are you excoriated for having a dog that isn't a rescue, you can get "the lecture" in strident tones if your dog is a purebred rescue.

 

I have 3 "gently used" dogs that are purebred at the moment, 2 adopted from an actual official Rescue and one who has been re-homed several times before I took him home. I'm not sure I consider him a rescue, per se, just a dog who needed an owner that I bonded with so I took him home.

 

On three separate occasions I have been lectured strongly (or berated, depending on your POV) about how only mixed breed are OK to own, about how liking a certain breed makes me elitist and how a dog died in a shelter because my dogs were born.

 

This never happened at any dog classes or agility events, but once in Petsmart, once at a temporary job and once by a stranger on the street. All 3 of these conversations started with someone misidentifying my Border Collie (who is mostly white and prick eared) or elderly, shaved down Papillon as a mixed breed.

 

I think this depends on where you live. In the San Francisco Bay area, (the original republic of PC) where I live, the phenomenon is a common one. Rescue dogs are PC. Anything else is not.

 

And it is similar in the Portland area. Not among agility or working dog people, but people you meet in the pet store or walking through the Portland Saturday Market.

 

I was considering buying a puppy for our next dog, for several reasons I don't feel the need to justify. I learned to not mention it out loud and in certain internet places because I also got lectured.

 

I ended up taking home a re-home adolescent puppy, again, not really a rescue but a nice boy with the personality I liked who needed a new home due to unfortunate circumstances (owner lost her job).

 

I was very excited to take him home, I think he is the PERFECT match for my family. Entering the local pet store the very day I took him home, to buy a harness: "Oh, how cute is he! Is he a mix breed?" "No, hes a Border Collie puppy." "did you rescue him?" "um, no, not really..." "oh, thats too bad."

 

So, did the "oh" towards the original poster meant as disapproval? Maybe, as you say, it was simply conversational. But there are those who will talk down to you if you don't meet their idea of "correct."

[bc4ever]

JMO, but why worry about it? You've got a dog, you bought that dog. You have no clue what type of home he would have had - may have been the greatest home ever. No use speculating, you've got him, you love him, he loves you. He isn't any less your dog than if he had come from rescue. The only difference is feelings that you're projecting on the situation.

Well, I don't feel that guilty. Since getting Scooter however, there have been many times I wished I could have rescued some poor dog that needed a home and it's really pulled at my heartstrings, but I know it isn't something that would be good for the dog or us. As you point out, we bought him, he's ours, we love him and he loves us. I don't stay awake nights worrying about what other people think about it. (I have other things that keep me awake at night.)

[geonni banner]

I don't think the question should be to rescue or not to rescue I think it should be how we can educate folks.

 

Just my thoughts,

Denice

 

So true, but it isn't just JQP that needs "educating." I've had several vets tell me that there is no difference between Evo dog food and Purina Dog Chow. Well, even I know that's a crock.

Can a great many dogs eat Purina Dog Chow and live long, healthy lives? You betcha! But there's a bunch that couldn't, and to say there is no difference is just stupid.

 

I have done my bit to educate those who have a need for education. A few years ago I talked a friend out of letting his rescued Pit Bull (she was dumped and he took her in) have a litter of puppies. (She got tagged by a stray Pittie right after he got her - my friend was a bit fuzzy on the whole heat-cycle thing.)

 

I cited pet overpopulation and the very high number of unwanted Pit pups in our area, possible health issues, and the cost of caring for a pregnant bitch and the pups when they came. But you know what finally moved him to get her spayed? It was a breakdown of how many piles of puppy poo he would have to clean up, wash off the pups, and smell. After being unmoved by high-minded notions of responsibility, the ruinous cost of whelping a big litter of pups which would probably be in his possession until they were months old, and the possibility of his bitch having problems, he dashed to the phone and made a spay appointment to avoid having to deal with puppy crap!

[urge to herd]

Why would I let myself be lectured by a stranger? Why would I care what any stranger thinks about my decision? A) I can walk away, and I don't give a rat's patootie what a stranger thinks about any thing I do.

 

I dislike holier-than-thou people. Well, dislike is not a strong enough word. If you feel better about yourself because you've aligned yourself with some cause, any cause, that's nice for you. Don't ask me to spend any time at all cheering you on.

 

Sheesh - there is enough real suffering in the world to go around. Yes, millions of animals are put to death in shelters in this country. Thousands of children are seriously abused by family members every day. People go to sleep with no food in their stomachs, and not much hope of any tomorrow.

 

Here, amongst like minded individuals, many of whom I feel I know, I feel very free to have discussions about breeding decisions, rescue efforts, and animal welfare. Total strangers don't have much to do with my self esteem.

 

I live in the Bay Area as well, and yes, rescue of animals is a very popular thing. It's also an easy thing to preach, much easier than supporting parent education - there are at least 7 animal shelters in my county, and exactly one program to teach better parenting skills to families at risk for violence. I think that's a bit out of whack.

 

I think Ooky hit it on the head when she spoke of her own feelings plaguing her, not a total stranger's. Don't answer the question, or give the answer and move on, or ask why they're interested. Reading something into an "Oh?" is not a healthy activity.

 

Ruth

[vaporflowers]

vaporflowers - you just might adopt someday. I'm not saying everyone has to, but if you feel guilt, being open to adopting in the future could be a good way to assuage it.

 

Oh, I have adopted. My Wolfie is from a local rescue, pulled from under a trailer. My late dog Jack was from the SPCA. My long-term foster/parents' dog is from Cairn Terrier Rescue.

 

I just felt a little guilty not rescuing this time. Maybe it's silly, maybe not, but it's there. Wouldn't change a thing though, and I will definitely rescue again.

[Alchemist]

First off, my question is, IS there an "in crowd"? I mean now that we are out of high school?*

 

Sure there are people who think everyone SHOULD rescue until none are left needing rescue homes. And IME they tend to be concentrated in great numbers in the bay area. Here, most assume I must have rescued Odin, and I have met some surprise when I said I didn't. I have felt a little judged at times when I tried to explain, but I realized early on those are MY emotions about having bought him, MY unease. I'm not in the least sorry I did it, because I ended up with a new life's passion and just about (if I'm being totally, completely objective about this ) the best dog in the entire world, ever. And, while I would probably pick another breeder next time, I think I did pretty ok with that, and I did do good research. But if I'm being completely honest with MYSELF, I have to admit that I feel some internal guilt over it. This time I wanted a puppy, and I wanted it in a specific timeframe, more than I wanted a rescue and to wait indefinitely for the right rescue situation. That can make me uncomfortable because I have typically rescued my animals, and I tend to think that in general, among people who just need pets for pets, rescuers are more responsible, better pet owners, with a higher ethical standard than those who buy purebred dogs. So to have to admit to people that this time I took a bit of what I think of FOR MYSELF as the more selfish route of getting my dog, of course that makes me uneasy. 9 times out of ten, it has nothing to do with the person on the other side of the conversation. They have merely asked a question.

 

So, I agree with others here that most people are simply surprised and just don't know what to say about it, because they were getting ready to have a "rescuing is so awesome" type of conversation. Which I like to have too. Cause it IS so awesome. In the few instances where people have actually seemed openly disdainful and like they really are judging me, I try to remember that their thoughts when imagining a breeder and a purebred puppy purchase are likely based to a large degree on AKC breeders/breeds/petstore puppies/puppymills/breeding decisions like conformation breeding. And that's a terrible model, no wonder they feel strongly against that. That doesn't mean they will feel so strongly about MY choices. Even those people calm down when I discuss breeding for useful work and Odin being trained to work sheep (although I didn't originally get him for that, which I am open about.

 

*ETA What do I know though, as I have never been "in".

 

I think Ooky scored a touchdown with this one. She sums up a lot of my feelings to a "T". I think I feel particularly sensitive to criticism in part because I was never part of the "in" crowd in high school (or earlier). Plus, I think many of us who really view ourselves as PC (there are enclaves here on the east coast; it's not all localized to the Bay area) in many respects have an innate "flinch" response when we feel there is merit to the points the "never buy from a breeder, only adopt" proponents espouse.

 

I do have to say, though, that I don't agree (at least in the majority of situations I run into) with what several respondents have said: that it's a neutral "oh". More often than not there are ancillary comments made that make it pretty clear that the other person (who, as several of you have suggested, is invariably a person who rescues mixed breeds) is firmly in the camp that anyone purchasing a dog from a breeder has crossed over to the dark side. I think these people are pretty firmly established in their positions. I don't think there's much that can be said in such cases, other than to point out that there *may* be valid reasons to purchase from a breeder (e.g., to support dogs being bred for worthwhile reasons). Perhaps eventually they'll be willing to consider alternative views...

 

I have had rescue dogs in the past. Some of them have been great dogs. I've also (as a child) had dogs that were acquired from BYBs. Some of them have been terrific dogs. I've also had dogs (as a child) acquired from BYBs that were nightmares (can anyone spell "basenji"?). That being said... the three working-bred Border collies I've owned have all been a breed apart. Personally I think it's the "sub-breed" (read: working-bred Border collie), not how you acquired it. JMHO.

[mbc1963]

When I was a younger, simpler person, volunteering in a rural native village, ALL the folks around me were east-coast do-gooder types, trained by their college professors and campus activist organizations about what was the "correct" mindset to have, which political groups were "right," and on and on. (Ah, only later, when I stepped out of my enclave did I discover that these groups only wanted us to be open-minded to THEIR ideas, and were closed-minded to the ideas of thousands of other groups who could argue their points just as vocifersously!)

 

One of the common phrases quoted around me back then was "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." This was confidently stated by any proponents of any cause: starvation in Africa, violence against women, AIDS education: it was a catch-all phrase.

 

I quickly realized that we can each only be "part of the solution" to a tiny smattering of the world's problems. My cause, because luck and life and skills have made me a teacher, is public education and its improvement. I've got a bunch of side causes I support (blood donation, CARE, cleaning up my neighborhood) and a bunch of other causes I believe in philosophically but don't have the time or money to support. Meanwhile, there are ten billion causes I know nothing about - and don't feel I should be blamed for not having time to find out about them and rally for them.

 

We all do our best in the arenas in which we live. When we learn more, we adjust our behavior to make the best world we can.

 

People who devote themselves to a single cause (say, rescue) cannot and should not expect others to be equally up in arms about that particular cause. Rescuing a dog doesn't make me morally superior to, say, someone who purchased their dog but spends every weekend supervising Special Olympics. Everyone is fighting the good fight in whatever way they can.

 

Mary

[alligande]

I have recently found myself slightly on the other side of this question, oddly enough both defending my decision to rescue and defending my PC rescue credentials. Both my dogs are similar looking tri-colors ( strictly coincidence) and I regularly find myself "bragging" that they are rescues not from a breeder. At an agility trial recently I was asked if my youngster was from a particular sire and when I said he was a rescue I got the same Oh.... Like others have said, I have never felt any need to move with a particular circle, rescue has been right for us so far, but I would have no issue with buying a puppy.

[Mark Billadeau]

I have experienced a similar attitude.

 

We use a rabies clinic run by a local shelter. One of the questions is whether or not you dogs are altered. One year I was told by a volunteer that we are part of the dog overpopulation problem because we had intact dogs. I was so dumbfounded at this comment I didn't properly respond to this zealot.

[juliepoudrier]

Mark,

Next time just say "You're only part of the problem if you actually breed them."

 

J.

[Liz P]

I quickly realized that we can each only be "part of the solution" to a tiny smattering of the world's problems.

 

Excellent post!

 

I too have experienced the disdain of a rescue zealot when I not only admitted to buying dogs but to also breeding them. Right now "rescue" is PC. Remember the whole uproar when Obama got his dog and it was revealed that it wasn't really a rescue, but a pup that was returned to the breeder?

 

On the flip side, I've seen people who only buy dogs look down on rescues. They are all human, with their own opinions and biases. You can share your opinions and reasoning behind them with the world, but you can't force people to agree with you.

[Root Beer]

On the flip side, I've seen people who only buy dogs look down on rescues. They are all human, with their own opinions and biases. You can share your opinions and reasoning behind them with the world, but you can't force people to agree with you.

 

That is true. And there are people who consider every and any dog that is a rescue of any sort to be a mix. I've had that debate with a few people because the notion that a dog that is obviously purebred is actually a mix because the dog, for whatever reason, was rehomed, simply doesn't add up in my brain. But there is no convincing someone whose mind is set that firmly. Those people have reasons for believing it and it is unlikely that their minds will change unless some profound personal experience causes them to change it.

 

I guess there are biases against both people who buy from breeders and there are biases against people who adopt from rescues. Personally I've run into more bias against rescues, but that has been on the internet (not here). I have never personally found myself defending my choice to purchase.

[Mark Billadeau]

Mark,

Next time just say "You're only part of the problem if you actually breed them."

 

J.

At that time we had bred 1 litter; but we had both surviving pups.

[SecretBC]

Luke is a shelter dog (but was only three months old when I got him), Secret is from a Border Collie rescue (@ 4 months old when I got her) and my foster, Max, was more or less "rescued" from an inappropriate home. I mention the ages of my two "rescue" dogs because frankly, I don't know how much you are rescuing them from when you get them as puppies... But I digress...

 

Kaiser, however, came from a breeder and I paid an embarrassing amount of money for him. Sometimes I'm ashamed that I actually paid so much for a dog, but you simply do not find Alaskan Klee Kai through rescue.

 

I know from experience that there are many AMAZING dogs that come through rescues and are in need of good, experienced homes. Several dogs have come through our Humane Society that I would have *loved* to get my hands on to see what they were capable of (in agility).

 

That says, unless the right puppy shows up in rescue when I'm looking for my next dog (and believe me, there have been many lately!), I'll likely go through a breeder for my next dog. I love Secret dearly, but she has not ended up quite the "type" I was hoping for -- Always a risk you take when you don't know where they came from or anything about the parents. Granted, going for an adult kind of takes care of that, but I love puppies.

 

Everyone has filters and opinions. I've received snide comments on this board for showing my Klee Kai in conformation. I think it's ridiculous that anyone would bring their filter regarding showing Border Collies in conformation to a completely unrelated breed... Makes about as much sense as someone thinking less of you for rescuing or not rescuing... To each their own.

[juliepoudrier]

At that time we had bred 1 litter; but we had both surviving pups.

Well the person being a jerk to you doesn't know that though. I guess you could always say something like "Intact doesn't mean bred." And you know you aren't part of the problem anyway (in which case I think it's okay to take a little license)....

 

J.

[Mark Billadeau]

Had I not been stunned by the jerk's comments I should have said.

 

Even with all these intact dogs we've only had the 1 litter which was planned and we kept both surviving pups.

Now explain to me how we're part of the problem.

 

 

[MrSnappy]

And what do you suspect them of? Relating an experience/ POV that doesn't jibe with yours? I didn't get the impression that the OP was trying to get rescue people's backs up.

 

No, what I find suspect is that someone said one word to the OP which she interpreted pretty liberally, and now she claims she is tiptoeing through a minefield of people ready to denounce her as a human being because she bought a dog, which is what her whole post implies. I think that's kind of silly, and I'm not really reluctant to say as much.

 

I think Ruth and Ooky are both completely spot on: "I think Ooky hit it on the head when she spoke of her own feelings plaguing her, not a total stranger's. Don't answer the question, or give the answer and move on, or ask why they're interested. Reading something into an "Oh?" is not a healthy activity."

 

I agree that the OP read way too much into something and is making it about the person who said it, when it should really be, probably, about her. Introspectively speaking, I can appreciate that some people may struggle with having purchased a dog (although practically speaking, if they purchased a good dog from a good breeder, they probably shouldn't). I don't think it's fair to project ones own guilt(? whatever the psychology is here) onto some poor volunteer who was probably just trying to start a conversation. Moreover, even on the off chance that the volunteer's one-word reply was dripping with loathing and outrage (ahem) that person doesn't represent rescue as a whole. A one time event does not a cultural phenomenon make.

 

There are a lot of rescuers out there who are not fanatics at all and appreciate the vital role that good and conscientious breeders play. Whenever these discussions start, I feel it necessary to point out that not all rescuers are a simple two-step away from joining forces with PETA and trying to eradicate the concept of the pet dog. That is also so much hyperbole.

 

I never ask people if their dog is a rescue. Sometimes I ask where they got their dog, mostly because I am interested in compiling a loose set of statistics in my brain about how many dogs the infamous BYBs around here are putting on the ground. It's never asked to judge the owner. But when I ask "where'd you get your pretty puppy?" it would be very unfair of someone to come running to a bulletin board and claim that I asked the question with all kinds of motives behind it that were designed to make the person feel bad. I think the volunteer in question is getting crucified for what was probably a very innocent question.

 

RDM

[PSmitty]

Hear, hear, to both of your posts, RDM. I can't help but feel that the OP read waaaay too much into that response, unless there's more to it that we don't know.

 

Good point made by LizP, too, about rescue dogs being looked down upon by those that buy from breeders. So, there is bias on both "sides" (for lack of a better way to describe it). I know that in the sport circles around here, most everyone buys their dogs, rescues are in the minority and some people seem a bit surprised if your rescue dog does well. I'm sure the culture is different in other areas, but personally, I don't see the whole "rescue is PC" around here, at least not with the people I'm involved with. For example, out of around 20+ dogs on our flyball team, only 4-5 are rescues. Out of the dogs in our competition agility class, only 2 are rescues.

 

I'm pretty sure there was something else I wanted to say, but I forgot.

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Adoptions are way down, intakes are way up, right across the board. The economy still sucks, dogs are expensive to own and are secondary to important things like mortgages and groceries, and thus dogs are staying in rescue way longer. This has nothing to do with the conversation except that you mentioned it; just don't be fooled into thinking everything is heavenly in rescue land and we are so happy with dogs flying out the door into wonderful homes. That's just not happening.

 

This is true for us as well. Although, I'm with one of those 'All Breed' rescues. We have over 50 dogs in our system right now, mostly litters of puppies that were surrendered at Spay/Neuter clinics. I can count on one hand the adoptions that have gone through in the last month. Granted, we're quite strict on our adoption policy and not just any 'Joe' can get a dog from us, we've noticed that adoptions have not picked up like we thought they would.

 

Anyway, back to the OP. When I'm at events with my rescue group, I don't normally ask people where they got their dog from... it's none of my business. If they offer, my normal reply is usually "Oh, yeah?". If they want to talk about it more, they can, if not that's fine too. I don't push rescue on people or try to make them feel bad.

 

There is a good chance (like others have said) that the person in question just didn't know how to continue that conversation...

[geonni banner]

Here we go again with the difficulties of communicating via the internet, without benefit of body language, tone of voice.

 

It may well be that the OP misinterpreted the "Oh." of the volunteer at the rescue booth, and it is equally feasible that she did not. The "Oh." could have been delivered with an icy look of disdain and a drawing away of the body, which could connote disapproval.

It could have been delivered with the raised eyebrows and friendly smile that implies, "Please go on, I'm interested in who you bought you dog from.

 

From its separation from the rest of the text, and the bolded letters, I would rather suspect the former set of accompanying clues.

 

In any case, my interpretation of the rest of the post was not one of spiritual/moral agonizing, but one of minor irritation. If her assessment of the "Oh." was correct, one can excuse her for feeling a bit miffed, especially as she had stopped at the booth to make an (unsolicited?) donation.

 

It would feel a bit like offering a cookie to a dog and having it curl its lip at you. While it may be true that the dog had a perfectly good reason - unconnected with you - for curling its lip, the effect would nonetheless be unsettling - even mildly annoying.

 

I myself have experienced the disdainful-of-my-paid-for-purebred-dog rescuer. I have also had enjoyable talks with rescuers about good breeders and their fine dogs. Why not just accept the fact that someone may have been rude to the OP and let it go at that?

[PSmitty]

Why not just accept the fact that someone may have been rude to the OP and let it go at that?

 

Well, she did open it up to discussion by posting about it here, no?

[Liz P]

I do want to mention that back when I trialed regularly I wore my NEBCR shirt to try to advertise them. I was asked quite frequently, by fellow competitors and judges alike, if the dog I was about to run was a rescue. They all seemed genuinely disappointed when I said "No." All of my fellow trialers were very supportive of rescue and hoped to see rescue dogs succeed on the field.

[geonni banner]

Well, she did open it up to discussion by posting about it here, no?

Well, absolutely!

 

But I think what I was getting at was the posts that insist that the OP was paranoid, deluded or just thin-skinned (my choice of words) were assuming too much, and rather unnecessarily hard on her. Better IMO simply to relate your own experience and reactions to them.

 

Don't know if it's just me or if anyone else experiences it this way, but there seem to be a lot of threads lately, the e-collar threads come to mind, where people seem not to want to share experiences, but rather to just squabble.

 

I don't mean to be a goodie two shoes, (and maybe I am too thinned skinned about this kind of thing) but it does seem unnecessary to climb onto someone who is expressing what I would read as dismay, rather than hostility.

[bc4ever]

Don't know if it's just me or if anyone else experiences it this way, but there seem to be a lot of threads lately, the e-collar threads come to mind, where people seem not to want to share experiences, but rather to just squabble.

 

I don't mean to be a goodie two shoes, (and maybe I am too thinned skinned about this kind of thing) but it does seem unnecessary to climb onto someone who is expressing what I would read as dismay, rather than hostility.

It's not "lately"--I've been here a while, seen a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people come and go due to snarkiness, whether real or just misinterpreted (the downside of reading rather than hearing words) and it's just the nature of the boards. Sometimes things might get a little heated, but eventually we all move on and play nice.

[Frogs & Dogs]

My experience has been that there seems to be a bit of a misconception about rescue dogs in my area: many people I meet (even those who have rescued in the past) seem to think that all rescue dogs necessarily have issues.

 

I compete in disc with my rescued BC mix, Kit, and we are also getting close to trialing in agility. She is incredibly drivey and intelligent, but with relatively good focus on me and no fear whatsoever. Additionally, she loves all people, all dogs, toys, and anything even resembling food. Unless you count exuberance as an issue, she's pretty much devoid of problems. Although she is very clearly a mutt, I get asked all the time where in the world I found such a dog. People are generally shocked when I say "a shelter". They usually proceed to tell me how lucky I am to have found a dog without issues in a shelter.

 

Now I will be the first to admit that I was picky when I chose her - I am a first time dog owner and I knew I didn't have the experience it takes to deal with issues such as aggression and fear. But I maintain that luck only played a small role in it: continued training and hard work is a much bigger part of it, along with being picky in the first place.

 

Despite what a lot of folks I've met seem to think, there are plenty of dogs in rescues that are not yesterday's trash - undersocialized, fearful, and fraught with health issues. Many of them, BC's in particular, may be going a little stir-crazy in a shelter situation, and that may make them appear as if they would make unsuitable prospects as pets or anything else (as was the case for Kit). But with a little work, I maintain that carefully selected rescue dogs can be more than just great pets. I support one's right to purchase a dog from a breeder, but I doubt I'll ever do it.

 

As strongly as I believe in rescue, though, I think it's kind of rude to go around asking complete strangers if their dogs were rescued. That's sort of like saying "Are you catholic?"